I qualified as a Clinical Psychologist (D.Clin.Psy)  from Newcastle University in 2001. Since then I worked for the NHS as a Clinical Psychologist within a Pain Clinic setting before moving to the University in 2017. My current post is within the School of Dental Sciences where I am involved in research about biopsychosocial factors relevant to persistent orofacial pain. My interests are in developing effective biopsychosocial interventions for people experiencing pain and long-term conditions.

I am responsible for the Behavioural and Social Sciences course for dental students and lecture on psychological aspects of providing dental care across the undergraduate curriculum.

I have a BSc. in Psychology (1991) and an MSc. In Mindfulness Studies (2017).

Area of expertise

• Pain Management
• Psychological treatment for Long Term Conditions

• Penlington C. Exploring a compassion-focused intervention for persistent pain in a group setting. British Journal of Pain 2019, 13(1), 59-66.
• Penlington C, Araujo-Soares V, Durham J. Predicting Persistent Orofacial Pain: The Role of Illness Perceptions, Anxiety, and Depression. JDR Clinical & Translational Research 2019, 5(1), 40-49.
• Penlington C, Urbanek M, Barker S. Psychological Theories of Pain. Primary Dental Journal 2019, 7(4), 24-29.
• Penlington C, Otemade AA, Bowes C, Taylor G, Waterhouse P, Ohrbach R. Psychological therapies for temporomandibular disorders (TMD). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2019, (12), CD013515.
• Penlington C. Working with long-term conditions. In: Papworth M; Marrinan T, ed. Low Intensity Cognitive Behaviour Therapy: A practitioner's guide. London: SAGE, 2018, pp.350-385.